AFI FEST 2011 Launches Today

The 25th annual AFI festival launches in Los Angeles tonight with the world premiere of Clint Eastwood’s J. Edgar starring Leonardo DiCaprio as the infamous first Director of the F.B.I. Throughout the course of the festival (November 3rd – the 10th) roughly 70 features and 40 short films will be screened, including some of the most talked about and anticipated films of the year.

In addition to J. Edgar, the festival will premier director Steven Spielberg’s 3D motion-capture offering The Adventures of Tintin as the closing night Gala event. Additional Gala and special screening events include:

Director Steve McQueen’s Shame starring Michael Fassbender as a troubled man who is confronted by his past and his sexual addiction when his sister (Carrie Mulligan) makes an unplanned, and unwelcome visit.

Michel Hazanavicius’ The Artist a black-and-white silent film that explores the origins of cinema.

Roman Polanski’s Carnage based on Yasmina Reza’s play, “God of Carnage” starring Kate Winslet, Jodie Foster, John C. Reilly and Christoph Waltz as two New York couples who try and fail to settle a dispute in a “civilized” manner.

Lars von Trier’s meditation on depression and the end of the world Melancholia.

Lynne Ramsay’s psychological thriller about the relationship between a mother and her (possibly) sociopathic son We Need To Talk About Kevin starring Tilda Swinton, John C. Reilly, and Ezra Miller.

Guest artistic director Pedro Almodóvar will present four classic horror-thrillers that influenced him: Jean-Pierre Melville’s Le Cercle Rouge, Georges Franju’s Eyes Wihout a Face, Robert Siodmak’s The Killers and Edmund Goulding’s Nightmare Alley. The Spanish writer-director will also attend a screening of his own film The Law of Desire with the film’s star Antonio Banderas.

In the hopes of drawing in a diverse range of attendees, the festival has issued free tickets for the third year in a row. With an aggregate of the best films from this year’s festival circuit, several special conversations and presentations, as well as the aforementioned Gala and special screening events, AFI fest hopes to offer an eight-day haven for film enthusiasts and industry insiders alike.